Genealogy Chat

thanks both of you, if I can't get any further I might have to!! Looby

My motto in life has always been 'you don't get anything without asking' I know it's totally off the wall and there's a 1 in a million chance you'd get an answer but why not write to the queen and ask if she has a record of a 100th b'day card sent to this guy in that year. You may just get a reply.... can't hurt to ask! Helen

HI Valerie Unfortunately Towcester would be much too far away, the family are all definitely the other side of Northampton, mainly Kettering and Rushden, but thank you anyway. Regards Looby

Name: Thomas Miller Estimated Birth Year: abt 1832 Year of Registration: 1904 Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar Age at death: 72 District: Towcester County: Northamptonshire Volume: 3b Page: 12 (click to see others could this be him

Think I've partly answered it myself - but if I were you Paul I'd stay out of the Old Crone's way for a while LOLOLOL Anyway this is what the Royal Family website has to say: HISTORY OF ANNNIVERSARY MESSAGES The sending of Royal congratulatory messages dates back 90 years. In 1917 His Majesty King George V began the tradition of sending messages of congratulations to those of his subjects celebrating their one hundredth birthdays and diamond (sixtieth) wedding anniversaries. This custom has been continued by reigning monarchs ever since. Originally congratulatory messages were sent as telegrams by the Royal Mail's Inland Telegram Service. When the telegram service was discontinued in 1982 it was replaced by a telemessage sent by British Telecom. This telemessage was incorporated inside a card, with the Royal Coat of Arms on the front and a picture of the Royal Mail Coach inside. The design of the card was changed in 1990 to include one of four designs of Royal residences - Windsor Castle, Caernarfon Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse or Killyleagh - depending on whether the celebrant lived in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The artists were chosen locally by the regional Arts Councils and were all approved by The Queen. Her Majesty now sends congratulatory messages for diamond, sixty-fifth and platinum (seventieth) wedding anniversaries and every year thereafter, and for the one hundredth and one hundred and fifth birthdays and every year thereafter. In 1999 the telemessage was replaced by a card. It now shows a photograph of The Queen taken at Sandringham, which is unique to the card, and contains a printed insert which has the Royal Coat of Arms, and a personal greeting from Her Majesty. These cards are sent by special delivery through the Royal Mail and arrive, when possible, on the day of the anniversary. Still no nearer finding out whether lists are kept, but at least I know if he reached that age and someone bothered to request one he would have received it - back to the drawing board!!! Looby

I should ask An Old Crone Holden.... she received hers a few years ago. ;-)

Hi Jay All his children lived/worked in the same district, so would assume that he died there, but can't even find a 'Richard Thomas Miller' anywhere near the right age dying anywhere!!! Thanks Looby

I don't know, but I believe they have to applied for, rather than being sent automatically. As it is a rare occurence, it usually makes the local paper. If Richard was a widower in 1901, is it possible he went to live with a family member and died in a different Reg Dist? Jay

Anyone any info on this – have tried ‘googling’ but with not a lot of success. Am trying to find a death for my 2x greatgrandfather Richard Thomas Miller – I have him aged 67 on the 1901 census as a widow living in Kettering, Northants. I can find no trace of him after this and have now trawled the BMD records on Ancestry, page by page, from 1901 – 1933 (boy are my eyes tired now!!) and I can’t find him – so, before I go any further, I have a question: Does anyone know when telegrams started to be sent by the monarch on a 100th birthday? – and – if you do, is there any way of finding if someone was sent one? At least then I’d know he was still alive and I would carry on searching the indexes? Any ideas? Thanks Looby

see below in a mo